1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ankle support system and in particular to an ankle support system wherein the user can participate in vigorous athletic activities.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Overextension of the ankle joint, i.e., an over-inversion or over-eversion of the joint, is a particularly troublesome problem in sports such as tennis where participants change their direction of motion frequently. Such overextensions often result in severe traumatic injury to the ankle joint since they usually occur at a time when the player's full weight and momentum is being applied to the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the ankle. Once injured, long recovery periods are often required for the ankle joint to heal. Moreover, prior injuries of this type often make the ankle joint more susceptible to future injuries, and often such future injuries are more serious than the original injury.
A particularly insidious aspect of over-inversion or over-eversion injuries is the fact that they occur sporadically, often years apart, and usually without any prior warning. Accordingly, an orthopedic appliance directed at providing relief for this type of injury has to be one which the user will be willing to wear every time he participates in vigorous athletic activities; that is, it must be one which the user will perceive as not unduly interfering with the normal range of motion of his ankle joint. At the same time, the appliance must provide a high level of stabilization for the joint since, as discussed above, these injuries usually occur when high levels of stress are being applied to the joint.
The orthopedic appliances designed to date unfortunately have not been able to satisfy these twin requirements of high level stabilization and low level interference with the normal range of motion of the ankle joint. Typically, prior art appliances have been designed to supply a low level of support and thus are not capable of providing the protection needed to prevent overextension injuries. Although appliances are known which will immobilize the ankle joint in one or more directions, these appliances are designed for use during the acute phases of ankle injury, and are not suitable for long term use during vigorous athletic activity.